Maintaining a clean boat hull can improve the performance and prolong the life of a boat while avoiding more expensive maintenance procedures. Conventional methods for cleaning a boat hull are typically by mechanical or chemical means out of water. To remove a boat from the water requires a lift and transport from the location at which the boat is docked to a boat yard at which the boat hull can be cleaned. Alternately, the boat can be supported above low tide and cleaned between low and high tide. Chemical means may include toxins or poisons which can necessitate the use of special equipment such as over garments and respirators and require extensive clean up after use.
Certain devices and methods for cleaning a boat hull while submerged have been described to avoid having to remove the boat from the water. U.S. Pat. No. 4,395,966 to Murphy discloses a boat hull scrubber having a one piece belt of abrasive material to which a plurality of floats couple along the undersurface. The floats pivot in relation to the belt. The floats forcibly urge the belt into contact with the hull of the boat as operators on the deck of the boat pull either end of the belt. There are several disadvantages to this type and similar types of belt and float technology. The floats can make the belt difficult to engage and control in positional relation to the hull, and the flat belt when drawn against the boat hull can be difficult to draw back an forth due to friction between the belt and the boat hull, and the surface of the belt may not provide a surface as effective in removing the material attached to the boat hull (such as bacterial growth, algae growth, barnacles, and the like) as brushes.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,351,640 to Attaway describes a strap having a plurality of support pads located in cleaning loops disposed along the length of the strap which support cleaning pads in positional relation to the boat hull for cleaning. There are several disadvantages to supported cleaning pad technology. The supported cleaning pads can be operated in only one positional relation to the boat hull making placement of the device in relation to the boat hull more difficult. Additionally, cleaning pads may not readily release removed materials resulting which may act as abrasives and abrade the boat hull.